James Ross at LitReactor book club

The June pick for the LitReactor book club is a favorite of mine—They Don’t Dance Much by James Ross. Released in 1940, it was the only book Ross ever published, but it’s been lauded by authors like Raymond Chandler, William Gay, Daniel Woodrell, and Flannery O’Connor.

I wrote a lengthy piece for LitReactor about the history of the book, and the process of publishing it at MysteriousPress.com. Here’s a (very brief) excerpt:

Ross’ prose is both sharp and laconic. Lush with detail and stark in its representation of the human spirit. From page one, the book is shaded with a foreboding sense of dread—you know these people are on a collision course with tragedy. It’s just a matter of how they get there.

Rob Hart is the author of New Yorked, City of Rose, South Village, and The Woman from Prague. He is also the co-author of the upcoming novella Scott Free with James Patterson. His short stories and non-fiction articles have been published widely. Click here to learn more.